It’s only the day after the party, but I’m beginning to notice that people somehow know my name. They pass by our table, saying hello. I’m not a social butterfly. I’m the reluctant caterpillar in the corner. It’s awkward.

One girl with a group of friends actually snaps a photo of me with her phone. She’s blatant about it too. Not seeming to care that I see her do it or that I have my mouth stretched around a forkful of pancakes. Usually they taste like little round slivers of doughy heaven. This morning they sit like rocks in my stomach.

“So spill it, Elliott. Leave no stone unturned. I want to know everything.”

Of course she does. Leah’s dark brown eyes are round and eager as she eyeballs me expectantly. The only reason she didn’t get anything out of me this morning was because Leah is as dedicated to her training as I am. Or usually am, if I don’t factor this morning’s pathetic effort into the equation.

I swallow my mouthful quickly, mindful that people are watching me eat. “I bumped into him on campus.”

Leah’s eyebrows shoot skyward. “Like, literally?”

Oh God, the lies. I grimace because it’s already making me sweat. The gig will be up the moment Leah sees me leaking like a giant deceitful water fountain. Will she notice if I furtively slide a couple of napkins under my armpits? “Yes,” I answer firmly. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

She’ll believe that little white lie. My lack of direction and my inability to read maps is now a running joke in our circle.

“And then what?” she prompts, rolling her eyes. “Come on, Jordan. This is like pulling teeth.”

I put down my knife and fork to reach for my mug of tea. “And the rest is history,” I blithely reply and take a sip. It’s scalding hot and burns my tongue. In fact it burns all the way down. Karma is busy taking care of business this morning.

Leah’s eyes narrow. Perhaps I overdid the blithe. “Why did you never tell me?”

“I didn’t think—”

“That’s exactly right,” she cuts me off, jabbing her fork in my face. I flinch. “You didn’t think.”

“Hey, Jordan.” Two guys walk by our table that I don’t recognize. Both give me the once-over. I’m being appraised like a prize cow. This is the point where I realize I’ve been thrown to the wolves. I can’t even blame Brody. I agreed to this in a moronic, tequila-induced moment that now appears too late to take back.

I force a tight smile and with gritted teeth turn back to Leah. “Can we go? Please?”

“No way.” She grins as she forks up a mouthful of eggs. “I only just started eating, and this is too much fun.”

“I’ll do your laundry for an entire month,” I plead.

Leah pauses and says, “That’s pretty tempting … but no.”

“You’re a sucky friend.”

I give up on my pancakes. Wiping my mouth with my napkin, I set it on the table and reach again for my tea.

“So you bumped into him on campus and then what? You dropped all your books and he picked them up for you?”

“Yes!” I pounce on her suggestion. “That’s exactly what happened.”

“Wow.”

“I know, right?” I nod. “Wow.”

Leah sits back in her seat, coffee in hand as she eyes me shrewdly. “So then what happened? He looked into your amazing eyes, was dazzled speechless, and then it was on?”

I shake my head, pretending amazement. “How did you know? Gosh, Leah. It was like you were there.”

“Shut. Up!” she shrieks and tosses a half-eaten piece of toast at me. I’m wearing a short-sleeved blue knit top, and it attaches itself to the threads like a decorative broach.

I peel it off my chest and drop it on my plate.

“Give it back here,” she commands, stretching her arm across the table.

I hand it back over. “You’re not actually going to eat that after you threw it at me, are you?”

“Of course I am. It didn’t drop on the floor, and your shirt is clean.”

I glance down where crumbs and butter now smear the thin blue wool. “Not anymore it’s not.”

Leah takes a huge bite and waggles her eyebrows. Around a mouthful of toast, she asks, “So did you two get it on last night?”

“What? No!”

Her eyes round in genuine shock and her smile drops away. “No?”

I spend the rest of breakfast dodging Leah’s probing questions. When she finally announces she’s done, I stand and race for the door. The morning sunshine hits me right in the eyes, and I slide my sunglasses down to block the glare.

Leah catches up to me, linking her arm in mine. “What are we doing today?”

“Hibernating,” I answer quickly. This morning gave me insight on how bugs feel under a microscope. The scrutiny is wearing and my right eye has begun to twitch. I reach beneath my lens and rub it, trying to make it stop. “I have reading to do.”

“Wow. Study. You’re super fun. I’m not sure my heart can take it. Let’s go shopping first.”

I recoil. My bank account is reasonably healthy, but it needs to stretch my entire senior year. Not to mention my mode of transportation is already close to falling apart. “You’ve seen my car, right?”

“Hon, everyone has seen your car. It’s the eyesore of Texas. The CIA are tracking it on satellite, waiting for authorization to take it out.” Her eyes light up as we walk along the pavement. “Maybe Brody will buy you a new one now that you’re dating. He can’t have his girl driving a death trap, can he?”

“I’m not his girl. We haven’t even gone on a single date yet. Technically that means we aren’t really dating at all.”

That was probably my first real truth of the morning, and Leah completely ignores it. Instead, I’m dragged from shop to shop, trying on outfits I can’t afford. It’s midday when we both declare we’ve had enough. With my stomach growling, I leave Leah inside the store and order two fruit smoothies from a nearby vendor.

I turn around while I’m waiting and get shoulder-checked by a redhead with an attitude problem. “Hey!” I cry out when I stumble and land on my ass with a painful thud.

The girl beside the redhead giggles, but the glare I get from the girl who knocked me down is scalding. I remember that glare from the party last night. Lindsay, I think Jaxon said her name was.

Leah charges out before I get to my feet. “What the freaking hell is your problem?” she screeches, getting right in Lindsay’s face.

The sweet Asian man making our smoothies races around his cart toward me. He helps me stand while Leah and Lindsay yell obscenities at each other. My stomach rolls the moment I put pressure on my left leg. My ankle is beginning to twinge, sending out a mayday that something is seriously wrong.

“You don’t belong here,” Lindsay hisses at me, her nostrils flaring. I don’t doubt she means what she says. “And I don’t know what you’re playing at, but you don’t belong with Brody either. You’re just a new toy that will soon lose its shine. Just give it a few days.”

“Just like you wore off so fast he didn’t even look your way at all?” Leah interjects.

“Look,” I say, swallowing around the worrying pain shooting up my leg. Damned if I want Lindsay to know she’s done some serious damage. “Maybe I do belong with Brody, maybe I don’t. Either way, it’s none of your business.”

Lindsay scowls. “This isn’t over.” With her pleasant threat delivered, she stalks off, not even waiting for her friend to catch up.

“Wow. I was wondering if I should envy you, getting to enjoy that masterpiece of male perfection,” Leah says as she stands there, hands on her hips as she watches the two girls disappear inside a store, “but I take it back.” She turns to me, doubt in her eyes. “How does it feel to be the most hated girl on campus right now?”

“Is that a pep talk? Because you suck at it.”

“Girls,” the vendor mutters from beside me, shaking his head like we’re an alien species he’ll never figure out. “You ok?” he asks me. “You still want smoothies?”